


Like Papelbon

by J (j_writes)



Category: Sports Night
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-31
Updated: 2011-07-31
Packaged: 2017-10-22 01:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/232168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_writes/pseuds/J
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>four times Dan saved Casey, and one time he mocked him about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Papelbon

**Author's Note:**

> written for the Sports Back in SN challenge.

Casey had found that the worst thing about working in the sports industry was the _people_ in the sports industry.

He'd just narrowly escaped the clutches of the rival station's overly bubbly blonde coanchor, and in doing so, spilled a glass of champagne all over one of the interns from his office. This, of course, led to an awkward few moments of pawing at the kid's chest with a napkin before realizing that things could only go downhill from there and stuffing the napkin into the guy's hand instead.

The guy patted at his shirt, then shrugged and moved his tie to strategically hide most of the stain. "Guess I should take that as my cue that I'm not wanted here, huh?"

"It was…I was just…" Casey gestured in the direction of the blonde and shrugged in what he hoped was an expressive and eloquent manner.

The guy followed his gaze. "Ah," he said.

Casey peered at him. "Wait, what _are_ you doing here anyway?"

"Davis thinks I'm 'promising,'" he said, pointing out someone halfway across the room. "Told me I should come and meet some people. The only thing is, I suck at meeting people."

"Davis is an idiot."

"Thanks," the kid said dryly.

Oops. "I didn't mean…" he started, but the kid waved it off.

"Dan Rydell," he said, grabbing Casey's hand and shaking it. "And you're Casey McCall. There, now I can tell Davis I met people, and I can get out of here."

"You know who I am," Casey said, surprised.

"Sure," Dan replied. "Your first piece is running tomorrow. The thing about the skater, right?"

"Yeah." Casey paused. "But no. It's running Friday, not tomorrow."

Dan frowned. "No, it's scheduled for the 17th."

"Right. Friday."

Dan looked at him. Casey looked back. Then Dan grabbed his sleeve and started dragging him towards the elevators.

"Hey!" Casey liberated his arm from Dan's grip. "What the hell? Where are you going?"

" _We_ are going upstairs to the office. Your piece needs to be on Robertson's desk by tomorrow morning, or you are done at this company. I," he said, pausing dramatically for effect, "am saving your ass." He gave Casey a push in the direction of the elevator. "Unless you'd rather stay down here and _socialize_ ," he added, making it sound like something reserved for the last circle of hell.

"The 17th is tomorrow?" Casey finally asked as the elevator doors slid open with a ding.

"It does come after the 16th," Dan said.

"And the 16th would be…"

"Today, yeah." Dan hit the button for their floor. "You're right, you know," he said as the doors closed.

"About what?"

"Davis _is_ an idiot. Which is why you need to produce an amazing piece and get promoted into his job. Then I'll be working for you instead of him, and my life will be much easier."

"Ah." Casey watched their reflection in the doors. "So you're just doing this for your own benefit."

"Of course. What did you think, I was doing it for _you_?" he asked, and his reflection grinned at Casey.

"Of course not," Casey said, and smiled back. "You work in sports, after all."  
______________

"You know what's pretty?" Casey asked, leaning against a wall outside of the bar and watching the cars pass.

"I'm pretty," Dan said, tipping his head back. "Ow," he added as it hit the bricks.

"The lights." Casey pointed vaguely in the direction of the street. "The lights are pretty."

"And you," Dan said, turning to tap Casey's chest, "are drunk."

Casey paused to take inventory of himself. "Yes," he finally agreed. "I think I am. I am also," he looked around and sighed, "in Texas."

"You do seem to remember that at the most im…inop…bad moments, don't you?" Dan said.

"Remind me why I'm in Texas?"

"Because you have a job here. With me. Doing sports."

"That's right. You know something?"

"I know a lot of things," Dan said wisely, trying to hail a cab and failing.

"It's a secret."

Dan gave up on the cab and tilted his head against the wall to look at Casey. "Is it a good secret?" he asked.

"You'll like it," Casey told him.

"What is it?"

"You can't tell anyone."

"Ok."

"You can't tell Lisa."

"I don't talk to Lisa."

"Or Dana."

"I think Lisa and Dana are pretty much covered by 'anyone.'"

"I don't really like sports all that much sometimes," Casey whispered.

"Of course you do."

"I don't."

"Then why do you do this?" Dan asked, looking perplexed.

"Because I'm good at it." Casey paused and leaned closer in, feeling the heat of Dan's skin close to his cheek. "And I like _you_."

Dan smiled a sweet drunk smile. "I like you too, Casey."

Casey nodded, then regretted it as the world spun a little. "Good," he said, feeling better about being in Texas all of a sudden.

"Don't tell anyone," he repeated, and when he looked back, Dan was still smiling.

"I won't," he said, and he never did.

He didn't even tell Casey, when Casey came in to work the next morning unable to remember a thing about the night before.  
______________

For a while after Casey left home, he stayed with Dan.

"I'm looking for a place," he said repeatedly, as if Dan was on the verge of kicking him out. The truth was, Dan seemed pretty happy with the arrangement, and had never given Casey the slightest indication that he wanted him to go.

"Hey, you bring me coffee in the morning," he said one time when Casey mentioned finding his own apartment. "Why would I want that to stop?

So Casey stayed, for a lot longer than he'd planned. At night he and Dan would take a cab home, talking about the show, making fun of each other's mistakes, doing what they did all the time. They'd sit together and watch the 2 AM, and then they'd go to sleep, Dan in his bed, Casey on the foldout couch that had stayed permanently folded out since he moved in.

Some nights they'd both fall asleep there, exhausted from a long day, and Casey would wake with his head in Dan's lap, Dan's fingers tangled into his hair, or with Dan curled up along his back, snoring quietly against his neck.

Then came the night when Dan was leaving for bed and Casey leaned in to kiss him goodnight.

Dan pulled away and put his fingers against Casey's lips.

"What are you doing?" Casey asked.

Dan smiled sadly at him. "I'm saving you," he said, and left.

They didn't talk about it again, but a few days later, Casey moved into a new apartment.  
______________

"We still have a show," Casey said, leaning back against the booth, and Dan grinned next to him.

"I know," he said. "I was there."

"We still have a show, and you're not going to LA."

"You don't know that. I might still go to LA. They _do_ have Laker girls, you know. Also palm trees. And beaches."

"Yes, they do have all of those things. But you know what they don't have?"

"What?"

"Our show."

Dan smiled. "That's true."

Casey felt Dan stretch his legs under the table, tiny smile pulling at the corners of his mouth, and he felt a sudden overwhelming need to kiss him. He took a long sip of beer instead, watching Natalie and Kim dancing across the room.

"Hey," Dan said, his voice quiet in the noise of the bar, his hand landing warm on Casey's leg. Casey put down his glass, biting his lip and not looking Dan in the eye. "Hey," Dan said again, hand moving from Casey's leg to his jaw, turning his face towards Dan.

"I…you…" Casey said helplessly, and he watched Dan's lips move as he smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "I know." His smile turned into a full grin. "Love you too, Casey," he said, leaning in to speak just beside Casey's ear.

"No, I mean…" Casey stammered, "the last time, you…" he trailed off.

"The last time I was saving you from doing something you'd regret in the morning. This time? I'm saving you from _not_ doing something and regretting it in the morning." His lips pressed against Casey's temple, undetectable from anyone out in the bar. "Come on," he said, and dragged Casey out of the booth. "Let's go home."  
______________

"I, my friend, have just saved your ass."

"That you have," Casey agreed.

"In fact, I seem to have a tendency to do that."

"Yes."

"I have made, I would venture to say, _many_ brilliant saves on your behalf." Dan perched at the edge of Casey's desk and grinned at him.

"I've noticed."

"I win at saves."

"Yes. Like Papelbon," Casey agreed.

Dan frowned. "First of all, I gotta tell you, not only are you barking up the wrong tree team-wise, but for a professional in the sports reporting industry, I'd think you'd have a slightly more sophisticated reply in that situation than 'like Papelbon.'" He paused. "Second of all, unless that means 'thank you' where you come from…"

Casey sighed. "It's been a long day, Danny."

"Yes. It has. A long day in which you've had a lot of time to think up witty answers to me. In between me saving your ass, of course."

"Hey Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"You might have noticed, but I moved on from that like half an hour ago."

"Did you?"

"Yes. That sound of movement there? That was me. Moving on."

"Was it? Because I thought it was the sound of you tipping on your chair and almost falling over."

"Well yes. It was the sound of that too. But mostly, it was the sound of moving on."

"Funny. Moving on sounds an awful lot like you almost needing me to save your ass once again."

"And yet strangely? My ass is fine."

Dan paused, considered all his possible options of replies there, and finally just nodded. "This time."

"Are you saying that my ass would not be fine in a similar situation?"

"I'm saying….that I really don't want to be talking about your ass at work, Casey."

"Funny, because I think you're the one who _started_ talking about it. Or was that somebody else who's been saving it for the past few years?" Casey raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I think that would be me. But it doesn't mean that your ass is a topic of conversation I'd particularly like to be discussing at this moment."

Casey managed to look affronted. "It's a perfectly nice ass, Danny."

Dan stifled a groan. "Yes, Casey. Yes it is."

"And you apparently did your part towards saving it today."

"I did. Which I am now, at this moment, regretting profusely."

"And, if I'm not mistaken, you have been…shall I say, demonstrating your appreciation for my ass on a fairly regular basis lately."

"Precisely, Casey. And how would I do that if I didn't continually save it for you?"

Casey grinned. "So what you're saying is, you do it entirely for your own benefit."

"Of course," Dan said, leaning in to kiss him. When he pulled back, he grinned too. "I work in sports, after all."


End file.
